Cadila Healthcare Ltd. (CDH) : Somaxon Pharmaceuticals
Inc. sued the Indian drugmaker in federal court in the U.S.
state of Delaware alleging infringement of U.S. patents for its
Silenor sleeping tablets. Sujatha Rajesh, a spokeswoman for
Cadila, didn’t respond to calls to her office and an e-mail
seeking comment. Separately, Cadila was rated new “overweight”
by Girish Bakhru, an analyst at HSBC Holdings Plc., with a price
estimate of 1,085 per share. The shares increased 0.1 percent to
910.85 rupees.

Essar Ports Ltd. (ESRS IN): The shipping company was rated
new “hold” by Chockalingam Narayanan, an analyst at Deutsche
Bank, with a 12-month price estimate of 117 rupees per share.
The shares fell 1.9 percent to 106.1 rupees.

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. (MSIL) : The nation’s biggest
carmaker said workers have ended a strike at its plant near New
Delhi after the company agreed to take back 11 dismissed
employees. The stoppage has been called off, said a spokesman
for the New Delhi-based automaker, who declined to be named,
citing company policy. The employees will start work from
tomorrow, Sonu Nehra, one of the leaders of the protest, said by
telephone. The shares declined 1.4 percent to 1,193.15 rupees.

NMDC Ltd. (NMDC) : India’s largest iron ore producer and
Russia’s OAO Severstal will form a joint venture to build a
steel plant in the South Asian country, according to a statement
on the Indian government’s website.

Separately, NMDC Ltd. will begin work on a slurry pipeline
to remove iron ore from its mines in the Indian state of
Chhattisgarh, Business Standard reported, citing Managing
Director Rana Som. The company will invest 10 billion rupees
($222 million) to lay the first 150 kilometers of the pipeline
in 18 months, and an additional 20 billion rupees for the second
phase. NMDC lost 1.4 percent to 259.5 rupees.

Oil and Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC IN): India’s largest state-
owned energy explorer is considering buying 25 percent of
Russian oil producer OAO Bashneft with a group of companies,
according to Bashneft Chairman Alexander Goncharuk. The
companies, all from India, would purchase the stake from Moscow-
based AFK Sistema, Goncharuk said at the St. Petersburg Economic
Forum. Oil & Natural Gas added 0.3 percent to 269.1 rupees.

Tata Steel Ltd. (TATA) : India’s largest producer of the
alloy said it sold its entire stake in Australia’s Riversdale
Mining Ltd. to Rio Tinto Group for A$1.06 billion ($1.12
billion.) Tata’s 26.27 percent holding in the Sydney-based
coking coal developer almost doubled in value in less than four
years, the company said. The shares fell 1.5 percent to 553.25
rupees.